This invention relates to machines for automatic sealing of sterile bottles in a bottle filling plant. More particularly, this invention relates to a bottle sealing machine for bottles having an annular bead at the mouth of said bottle and wherein said mouth of the bottle is sealed by a resilient plug and a metal cap and the filling plant comprise means to position said bottle below said machine.
Aseptic fluids like vaccine, anaesthetic drugs and other injectable fluids are produced and bottled under very stringent sterile conditions. The storability of these fluids is dependant upon the bottle seal. According to the state of the art, pressure is applied from above onto the cap resting in the bottle mouth, so that the bottle is pressed against a surface while said cap is pressed into the bottle mouth. At this moment a capsuling tool is applied to the cap, below the annular bead, which tool is rotated while pressing the skirt of the cap in below said bead. This rotatable tool is driven via a transmission by an electric motor. Normally the entire tool with motor and transmission must be raised or lowered if production is changed to a smaller or larger bottle size. At these moments, it is difficult to adjust this known machine so that exactly the right axial pressure is applied to the cap and bottle. If the pressure is not enough, the quality of the capsuling will be effected and if the pressure is too high, the bottle may break.
The primary object of the present invention is to provide an improved sealing machine that does not require precise adjustment to bottle size.
A further object of the invention is to provide a simple sealing machine without any rotating parts.